How to deal with methamphetamines in Sunraysia

By Damien Hooper (ABC Local)

Ice or methamphetamine isn't new to the Sunraysia region and over the past year several forums have been held to help identify solutions to the growing number of people using the drug.
Rob McGlashen is the executive officer of Northern Mallee Primary Care Partnerships which aims to improve health and wellbeing within the region and he says people need to be aware how addictive methamphetamine can be.

"It's not a social drug. It's not a drug you can experiment with and get away with, it's very highly addictive.

"The fallout from that addiction is not just to do with health problems but it's your financial stresses, your family stresses, and the social issues that go with it," he says.

So how does ice affect you?

Mr McGlashen describes the drug as a "very powerful stimulant" and says people simply aren't aware of its addictive properties.

"It speeds everything up in your body so it increases your heart rate and your blood pressure and so forth.

"It shuts down your immune system, it shuts down your digestive system and it gives you some incredible strength at the time and it also gives you a very big high rush," he says.

When it comes to the actual feeling of taking the drug Mr McGlashen says the "pleasure you get from it is ten times greater than anything natural that comes along."

"It gives you ten times greater release of dopamine out of your brain and into your blood system and that's where the high comes from. That's not natural.

"With this particular drug, the dopamine cannot go back into the brain so the lows come after that and that's why people want to have another hit of that because they need to get that rush again," he says.

Trish Deledio is a counsellor with the Echuca-Moama parents support group which was organised earlier in 2013 to help parents and carers who were affected directly by all types of drugs including ice.

"I've got a passion for caring for people in these situations. My heart just goes out to these parents and I've seen it from our groups, it just tears my heart apart.

"Doesn't have to be lower socio-economic, it can be anybody and it absolutely tears them apart and they really feel they have got nowhere to go," she says.

Ms Deledio says the support group can offer assistance to people who might find themselves in a similar situation.

"At least they've got some different people sharing the same thing, they're going through the same day to day issues so they can actually just chat about it and they feel they're listened to.

"I guess it's a release every couple of weeks just for them to be able to share and I guess for us you know as we go forwards we're just getting the model right now," she says.

According to Ms Deledio a recently held drug forum in Swan Hill discovered the lack of assistance and information for parents and carers.

"One of the aims of our community against drugs committee is to create a greater understanding of the drug situation and to encourage conversation about the issue in the community," she says.

Lastly Ms Deledio offers advice to people who may be facing a drug related issue on their own and what the community should be doing to help prevent further problems.

"Seek out some help particularly especially with other mums and dads and carers that have got a similar situation, it's just so powerful if you can get together and share your common experiences.

"We as a community need to understand the seriousness of the destructive effects of this particular drug and our parents need to be educated so that they can talk to the children at a young age," she says.